Expired Pink
by Antr 2.0
Summary: Anais's life as the Corporate manager of the Rainbow Factory sounds like a nice, steady living for the young women. But a high life unfortunately isn't lived without corruption. Drugs get involved. Close ties with the competitor ensues. And a split between reality and hallucination comes with the introduction of mysterious creatures giving Anais orders of what to do.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

My drive to work was pretty dry. Traffic was slow, but, when is it ever fast? You'd think in a small town like Elmore people would get to their destinations quicker, but things seem to linger on. All I want Is small drink from the bar before I go home, but it looks like the bastard in front of me is too busy eyeing some girl in a waist-high skirt and dark leggings to notice the green light. I honk my horn.

 _Beeeep!...Beeeep!_

"Hey buddy! Move it along!" I call out. He quickly sees the green light and moves, only for it turn red not five seconds after he leaves.

"Fuckin'-hell. Can I have one day where my drive from work goes smoothly?" My face buried in my hands in frustration. I need a drink. Something to get my mind off of things. Just drown it down in liquid nullifier and suck it up for another day. Just for another day to go by and I go deeper into this alcoholic depression. Never acknowledging my future lead to such a repetitive rut. God, just give me a bottle. Give me one O sweet Lord, so I can stop over thinking my troubles like this already.

The light turns green, and I speed to the bar for my nightly drink.

* * *

Darwin's Fish Bowl. The most popular bar in town. Family never really thought Darwin would run such a place. His explanation was that "-if people can't make themselves happy, let me make it easier." A bit...weird, to say the least. None the less, he stood by his word. Now people come by here so often that he knows every drink a person could ask for; Especially mine.

The place wasn't as filled as it usually was. Bad for me. That means I'll have to talk with Darwin again about my job. Don't get me wrong, I love to share my accomplishments, but this was one " accomplishment" better left unspoken. Especially here, where I come to forget about that kind of stuff. Better get ready for that talk. Approaching the full grown orange fish, cleaning glasses and stacking bottles on the racks above his head.

"You still got a full bottle for me?" He turns around and small smile runs across his face.

"Another night here, huh Ani? Three nights in a row."

"I've been here more times than that in a week."

"Not consecutively. It's always a bit more spaced out; usually a day or two. Hard day at the factory?"

Here we go.

"Nothing you're smarter-than-you sister can't handle. That factory couldn't run any smoother with me on board." Here I am going on about this. Heh.

"I'm sure it is, sis. I'm sure it is." He turns around and reaches for the bottle at the top of the rack, separated from the others. "Your usual mixture for tonight An, or are we feeling adventurous?"

"Just hand me the bottle Darwin. No glass needed tonight."

"Going all in." He says grabbing the bottle. "I know you said things were under control, but what's the occasion?"

"Oh, just some jerk on the road pissing off the drivers behind him. It nothing."

He holds the bottle in his hand; his face scrunches up as he appears to be examining my words. Perhaps he knows more than he want to let on about my condition. But if there's one thing I know about Darwin, he'll never call you out on your situation. He's not like Gumball. Not by a long shot, but he still worries.

"Sure." He says unconvinced "Whatever you say." Handing the open bottle over the counter into my tired hand. I needed this more than he'll ever understand. Just lifting the bottle and tasting the sweet nectar hit my tongue was already melting the built tension away. I needed this.

Placing the bottle on the counter and licking my lips of the alcohol, Darwin leans in, elbows rested on the counter-top and his smile turned into a blank expression.

"Ya know Ani," he says softly, but in serious connotation, " I always have a position open here, if your ever to over-stressed by the old factory."

My eyes widen.

He continues, "The place is busy - you of all people should know that - so you'll never be too bored waiting around for your next duty. And the pay is great. I know the boss and he said he'd offer you a pretty penny to come along side him."

He winks after say that and gives a small chuckle. Darwin has been trying to get me to come on board and work in his bar for a year now. I know he's just concerned about his baby sister taking on so much work, but I'm not four anymore. I don't need him looking over me; I never needed him, or Gumball, looking over me. If anything, I should be looking over him in case this fad of a bar begins to fail. Just as I always have.

"Darwin, I don't need a job offer. My profession is already taken care of."

"I wouldn't exactly call something you need to get drunk after doing a profession, Anais."

"Well Darwin, no profession is perfect. We can't all have a job at candy-land and eat gumdrops and chocolate everyday. Sometimes, what you do will cause a bit of whiplash on you. And little drink here and there is the remedy to numb the sore."

"But An-"

"No Darwin. That's my final answer. Understand?"

He nods his head, but it looked like forced compliance. I don't care whether he agrees or not. What does he know? How to flip a few bottles every night for a few hours and get people drunk before passing out? Heh. That's not work. That's pandering. I know, because he's pandering to me by giving me the bottle. What I do is real work. He'll never understand. And I can't tell him. You can't tell people experience. You can't speak years of passed hours in front of a 's not how life works...That's not how fucking life works. It just doesn't.

I pay for the drink, say my thanks, and leave. Nothing else needed to be said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Perhaps leaving Darwin without a word other then thanks was a bad move on my part. Now he's just going to be more concerned. Fantastic. Oh, look at little Anais. So small and delicate; can't take on a little extra work on her own and has to be treated like a damn toddler for the rest of her life. God. Just let me live. I've had enough of this. I need some sleep, or at the very least some rest.

I drive up to my house. The old Watterson household. Mom and Dad gave it to me after Mom retired and decided they should move somewhere less…"chaotic." Smart move. I'm sure the town would love to just rid themselves of our undesirable blemish on them. But i'm not going to let them do that. This little house is the only place that still gives me a genuine smile…on the outside. The inside is another feeling entirely. Maybe loss; sadness; or perhaps pity and regret for myself. I don't know. All I know is that I stay in my car for a good ten minutes everyday after work before actually going through my front door; just wanting to savor the memories before crashing back to reality.

But my memories can only last so long before i open the door, and i'm greeted with darkness and smell of lingering smoke and beer. The house itself is for the most part clean and kept in tact, but just the overall feel of being inside just felt down. It's like entering into a bad hotel room, and you try to make it feel better by making the presentation look nicer then when you came in; but the smell and unseen bacteria still remain. It's a terrible place, but you have nowhere else to go. That's home. That's my home. It sucks, but it's mine.

I drop my bags down by the front door. I didn't feel like carrying it upstairs. Hell, I didn't even feel like dragging myself upstairs, plopping on the couch exhausted and slightly drunk. I burry my face in the old pillow and let out a big sigh.

"The days…" I heavily breath out, "they just seem to drag on longer and longer."

I grab the remote and turn on the TV. The news starts spouting out about some shooting in the city. One person dead. Five injured, but one person dead. That's all I need to hear. Let life be even more horrid to those far away. It's sad, but it's strangely calming knowing that my own life is not as bad as it could be.

My condolences to the family of the one person dead and being taken away to a morgue, but, I feel better knowing he's dead. Sick, isn't it? Liking the fact that some random person, some schmuck from the city that I have no connections with, is now dead. Sick. But comforting, unfortunately.

It's comforting every time I hear about things like that.

He goes on about how and why this terrible incident occurred. Some crazy bastard had some sort of quarrel with his boss before he got fired. He came back with with a shot-gun and a pocket full of shells to blow.

Anger management problems, basically, was the cause. Such a ridiculous reason to go out and and become a murder, isn't it? Anyone who knows my family knows that my mother was the Queen of Uncontrollable Temper. Her blood was always boiling. She'd hide it behind a maternal and loving expression; Which to her credit, is incredible to pull off with all the mistakes and trouble we got ourselves into. Nevertheless, she'd blow her top and turn into a hot-collared feline. And yet, never once did she decide to go on a homicidal spree and kill us and/or people around the area just because she was pissed-off.

Do I believe the thought ever crossed her mind? Maybe, in a heated mindset, then brushing it off since it's a terrible thought to even think. But it's not a thought that I doubt could've have grazed around in her head. I know I've thought about it. Killing my brothers for one reason or another. Darwin splashing dirty fish-water around my room; Gumball "accidentally" ripping off the limbs of my Daisy doll. Hell, even thinking of Mommy and Daddy getting into a car accident and not making it home.

Bad thought they are, but they are just thoughts. I'd never act on them. Brush them aside and move on past my petty anger. This man, this quick-to-act man, let his emotions flourish longer than it should and ruin the lives of many. Pity.

I turn off the TV.

I take my medication.

I fall asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _"It's a pity what happened; The shooting, I mean. Such un-orchestrated violence."_

"And yet, the calming feeling I have for the misfortune is still very clear."

 _"A young girl like yourself shouldn't worry on trivial concerns like inadequate feelings towards a now added member of the Choir Invisible. You have other, more pressing matters to address, my dear."_

"Like what? What must be addressed now that is so important, Mister?

 _"_ _All in good time, my dear. All will be discussed about in do time."_

He takes in a deep breath of his cigarette between his spindly fingers and blows a big puff of grey in my face. Another night with this Mister. What fun. He comes whenever he wants. Just sits next to me in whatever setting I fall asleep in. We talk. We discuss on matters that he says are "Just between you and me." He's a creeper, no doubt about that. A tall, lanky, skeletal man dressed in black dress pants, an open black vest with no shirt underneath, a purple tie, and a top-hat to cover crown his head.

A weird creature is he. He is not the only one, but he visits me the most. I'm not sure why. He just does, and I've accepted this. Just let this man into my life with no prior knowledge of who he is. Hmm. Weird.

 _"We'll talk about that more in the future my dear, but let's discuss the present, hmm? I can see through your eyes, and what I see is an orange piece of uncooked meat delving into your personal work. Have anything to say on that?"_

"He was just offering me another job position to work in his stupid bar. It really-"

 _"_ _We are aware of your brothers longing to have you by his side. Perhaps, you should take him up on his wishes to join."_

"W-what? What do you-"

 _"The way to eliminate the harshness of reality and subdue the craving of other's pain lies with your brother Anais. He is your ticket to entering into salvation. The one to give you sound heart, mind, and body."_

"But wait. You said that that I shouldn't join Darwin when he offered the other time. You said he would just hold me back from my full potential, which I still believe whole-heartedly. Now you're say saying that I should go? Do you even know what the hell you're saying?"

He turns his empty eye-sockets to me before huffing in and out another breath of smoke into my face. He always breathes it in my face.

 _"Situations can change, my dear. Think of me as...your Doctor. Mister Doctor. Your current job was like your first dose of medication. Obviously, that hasn't help your situation at all. In fact, it's made it worse. So now, I'm giving you a new prescription. Your brothers job opportunity might be exactly what you need to get your mind off those terrible thoughts we've been talking about the past few nights."_

"So I'm just supposed to quite my job just to go work and do something that _might_ do me some good? Mister, I hate to disregard your words, but I can't do that."

 _"Hmm. I see. So you don't want my help?"_

"I didn't say that."

 _"Anais. My friend. Do you realize that disobeying a doctor's orders could lead to consequences greater than if you follow them? It may be one thing you disregard now, but soon it'll be two. Then three, then five, then eight. When will it end Anais? When it's too late? When your brother has turned his back on the suffering girl? When your job has become too much to bear? Or when you look inside the eyes of your reflection in the mirror and see Expired Pink, ready to be thrown away. When will it end Anais?"_

"..."

 _"I mean no discouraging words, my dear. You want a real world view, and a harsh light is what I provide over your head."_

"...I can't Mister. Not yet."

Silence fills the room after that. He doesn't even take the cigarette and suck on it.

 _"We'll talk again soon, my dear. Hopefully by the time I come back, you'll be a bit more willing to cooperate with reason."_

He leaves, and the room is silent for the rest of the night.


End file.
